Topic: INFORMS Goes to Washington: Date, Venue and Official Name

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INFORMS Goes to Washington: Date, Venue and Official Name

As INFORMS President Nick Hall recently pointed out on Connect, I am the Chair of the 2018 "Policy Day" Committee. This is an exciting new endeavor for INFORMS, and we are thrilled by the many positive comments and emails we have been receiving. Thank you!

I wanted to give you a few initial updates about "Policy Day." First, I am pleased to announce that the official name and tagline of the event will be:INFORMS 2018 Government & Analytics SummitSaving Lives, Saving Money, Solving Problems

In determining this name and summit agenda, we understood that, unlike traditional INFORMS events, the audience we are seeking to reach is generally not technical. Rather we are working to attract well-positioned congressional and agency staff along with domain-relevant directors and advisory board members from government agencies.

Our goals include increasing awareness of how O.R. and analytics can be used within the federal government. Step one, get them in the door.

To help us do that, and to build a successful event, INFORMS has retained Signal Group - an advocacy, communications, and digital consulting firm that positions clients and their priorities for success before the Congress, White House, and federal agencies. Their work is being coordinated by Jeff Cohen, INFORMS' Director of Public Affairs & Marketing (and a former Congressional Chief of Staff).

The INFORMS 2018 Government & Analytics Summit will take place on May 21st at Top of the Hill - a terrific venue directly across from the U.S. Capitol. In the weeks ahead I will be sharing more information about the Summit, including an overview of the agenda and the topics to be discussed by panels. In the meantime, if you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to get in touch with me at laura@engr.wisc.edu or Jeff Cohen at jeff.cohen@informs.org.